New England Patriots

New England Patriots: 5 Reasons Why They Can Repeat as Super Bowl Champions

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 7:58 p.m. ET

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Feb 7, 2017; Boston, MA, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and head coach Bill Belichick hold up Vince Lombardi Trophies while standing in front of city hall during the Super Bowl LI Champions parade through downtown Boston. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports

The New England Patriots are the Super Bowl LI Champions. What are five reasons why they will repeat in Super Bowl LII?

The New England Patriots were able to win their fifth Super Bowl with the best comeback in Super Bowl history. It looked for a while that the Patriots were going to be heading into a long offseason. After playing great all season, the Patriots made a lot of mistakes early on against the Atlanta Falcons.

Despite trailing by 25 points, the Patriots were able to rally. Tom Brady had one of the best fourth quarters in Super Bowl history, and the defense made some big stops. Everything had to go right for the Patriots, and it certainly did.

Now, the Patriots will be turning their attentions to the offseason. With some teams being five weeks ahead of the Patriots, New England has a lot of work to do. Free agency is right around the corner, and the Patriots have a few key players that they would like to keep. In addition to free agency, the NFL Draft is just a few months away.

With a big offseason ahead, the Patriots will be attempting to repeat as Super Bowl Champions. This past season, the Denver Broncos who won Super Bowl 50 were unable to even make the playoffs one year after winning the championship. Maintaining success is an extremely challenging thing to do in the NFL, however, the Patriots have been doing it for years.

Next season, the Patriots will be attempting to complete the repeat. Here are five reasons why they will be able to achieve that.

December 11, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; New York Jets quarterback Bryce Petty (9) during the third quarter against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium. The Jets defeated the 49ers 23-17 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Weak AFC

One of the reasons why the Patriots will be able to repeat as Super Bowl Champions next season is because of a weak AFC. This season, we saw the Patriots handle the AFC with ease. The only loss they suffered in the conference during the regular season was to the Buffalo Bills. In that loss, they were without both Tom Brady and Jimmy Garoppolo.

In the playoffs, the Patriots weren’t challenged either. Against the Houston Texans, the Patriots were able to win easily despite making a lot of mistakes. In the AFC Championship Game, the Pittsburgh Steelers saw their running back Le’Veon Bell leave early with an injury. Even if Bell was healthy, it didn’t appear that the Steelers would have been able to contend with the Patriots.

Next season, the Patriots will likely be challenged by the Oakland Raiders in the AFC. This season, the Raiders had the awful luck of seeing their star quarterback Derek Carr go down with an injury just prior to the start of the playoffs. Carr getting injured cost the Raiders the division and also resulted in them losing in the first round of the playoffs. While the Raiders will be arguably the toughest team the Patriots could face next season, the Patriots will have the experience factor on their side.

Dec 18, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; New England Patriots offensive tackle Marcus Cannon (61) in the first quarter against the Denver Broncos at Sports Authority Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Offensive line remains intact

One of the great strengths for the Patriots this season was how well their offensive line played. The return of offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia really helped this young unit grow, and they sure did play well in 2016. Under Scarnecchia, we saw the Patriots once again have one of the best lines in the NFL.

In the 2015 AFC Championship Game against the Denver Broncos, the offensive line was one of the reasons why the team lost to the Broncos. The inability to protect Brady cost them in that game, but it was an area that they fixed this season. Even though the Patriots struggled a bit with their pass protection in the first half of the Super Bowl, adjustments were made to protect Brady in the second half.

When the pocket is clean, there is no stopping Brady and the Patriots’ passing offense. With all five members of the offensive line back next year, this unit will continue to gel. Giving praise to the offensive line isn’t always the first thing people mention. However, this unit deserves a lot of credit for their great season in both pass and run blocking. Assuming they stay together like we think, the Patriots will have one of the best offensive lines in the NFL next season.

Feb 5, 2017; Houston, TX, USA; New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels against the Atlanta Falcons in the third quarter during Super Bowl LI at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Coordinators Stayed

When the Patriots were on their bye week in the playoffs, both Matt Patricia and Josh McDaniels had teams that were interested in them to become head coaches. McDaniels was a head coach with the Denver Broncos for nearly two seasons, however, he didn’t have much success. When he was hired by the Broncos, McDaniels was young and probably not quite ready to be a head coach. Now, he has gained more experience and was certainly qualified for jobs this offseason. Even though the San Francisco 49ers seemed like they were interested, McDaniels decided to withdraw his name from consideration.

While McDaniels appeared to be a bit more likely to leave, Patricia also drew interest from teams. The Patriots’ defense really improved in 2016, and a lot of that credit has to go to Patricia. After the 2017 season, both coordinators will likely be highly sought-after head coaching candidates.

For the Patriots next season, having both back will be great for their chance to win another ring. Talented coordinators don’t often get the credit they deserve. However, McDaniels and Patricia are two of the best in the business.

Feb 7, 2017; Boston, MA, USA; New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski celebrates by spiking a beer during the Super Bowl LI Champions parade through downtown Boston. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports

Gronk Returns

Even though the Patriots won the Super Bowl this season, they were able to do it without their star tight end, Rob Gronkowski. When it comes to tight ends in the NFL, there is nobody better than Gronkowski.

In eight games this season, Gronkowski totaled 540 receiving yards. Sadly, injuries kept him out for most of the season this year. Next season, Gronkowski should be healed and ready to roll for the Patriots.

Due to Martellus Bennett being a free agent, having Gronkowski back will be important for the Patriots. After a great season, Bennett will likely be getting a big contract from someone this offseason. The Patriots would surely like to have Bennett back, however, they might not be able to afford him.

Due to Gronkowski’s playing style, he is a bit injury-prone. Having a solid tight end like Bennett on the team was key for the Patriots this season. Next season, they will have to hope Gronkowski stays healthy. Prior to getting injured this season, Gronkowski totaled over 1,000 receiving yards in each of the past two seasons. Also, Gronkowski was able to total double-digit touchdowns those two seasons. If Gronkowski is healthy next season, the Patriots will be in good position to repeat.

Feb 7, 2017; Boston, MA, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady raises the Vince Lombardi Trophy during the Super Bowl LI Champions parade through downtown Boston. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports

Still have the GOAT

Unlike some teams in the NFL, the Patriots are always going to contend because of the quarterback that they have under center. After throwing for 466 passing yards in Super Bowl LI, Tom Brady still has a lot of good football left in him.

At the age of 39, Brady was able to have one of the best seasons of his career in 2016. After serving his four-game suspension, Brady totaled a 11-1 record as a starter in the regular season. He also totaled 28 passing touchdowns and just two interceptions. That excellent ratio set a new NFL record that was previously held by Nick Foles.

With his birthday in August, Brady will be 40-years-old at the start of next season. Despite his age, it doesn’t look like Brady is slowing down at all. With a solid offensive line in front of him and good weapons on offense, Brady will be an early MVP candidate for next season. If it wasn’t for the four-game suspension, Brady could have been the MVP this season.

Father time usually catches up to even the greatest athletes. In Brady’s case, father time doesn’t even appear to be close to knocking on his door. With Brady under center next season, the Patriots can certainly repeat as champions.